Among the Enemy (Shadow Children Books) [Hardcover]

Margaret Peterson Haddix (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 2005 | Series: Shadow Children Books (Book 6)

An ache grew in his throat and he wanted to sob, but he set his jaw and held it in. He'd been wrong to send Nina away, wrong to refuse to help her, wrong to let the commander treat him like a pet. He'd been wrong to think that everything ended when he lost Percy and Alia....I can stop this evil, he thought.

The Population Police are gaining more and more power, and illegal third-borns are in increasing danger. Young Matthias finds himself caught in the cross fire between the Population Police and the rebels -- and unwittingly ends up saving the life of a Population Police officer. By way of reward, the officer takes Matthias to the luxury of Population Police headquarters to train him to become one of their own. There, among his most feared enemies, Matthias encounters Nina, another illegal third-born, who enlists his help in a plot to undermine the Population Police. But Matthias is under constant scrutiny, he has no idea whom he can trust, and he's mourning the loss of his friends Percy and Alia. What can one boy do against a wicked bureaucracy?

In the most exciting Shadow Children book yet, Margaret Peterson Haddix examines how the courage of individuals can make an impact on growing evil.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7–A continuation of the series in which third-born children must stay in hiding in order to escape certain death at the hands of the Population Police. Many characters return, including Mr. Talbot and Nina, and some of the plot elements of previous books reappear. While there is little character development, the book is fast paced, opening with a raid on the Niedler School that forces Matthias, Percy, and Alia to run for their lives. The two younger children are injured and Matthias inadvertently becomes a member of the Population Police. Issues of trust and loyalty will appeal to readers as will the twists and turns of the action. This book also contains many references to faith in God and the need to believe. The protagonist often finds solace and strength in thinking of the advice given to him by his surrogate father, Samuel, a man of great faith. This one is strictly for fans of the previous books.–Edith Ching, St. Albans School, Mt. St. Alban, Washington, DC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. Each title in the Shadow Children series reveals a different aspect of a dystopian future in which illegal "third children" are hunted by ruthless Population Police. In the sixth installment, Haddix zooms in on Matthias, the eldest of the three friends Nina allied with in Among the Betrayed (2001). While seeking help for Alia and Percy, both gravely injured during their escape from the latest Population Police raid, Matthias impulsively saves the life of an officer and must then pose as an aspiring recruit. Suddenly Matthias is hailed as a hero and whisked into the heart of police headquarters, where he finds unexpected camaraderie with his former archenemies and must contend with feelings of confusion, guilt, and grief as he uses his position to aid undercover rebels. The top-level authorities' instantaneous embrace of Matthias may bother some readers, but the brisk, efficient pacing facilitated by occasionally abrupt plot turns is precisely what has cemented Haddix's strong following among both avid and reluctant readers. Series fans and newcomers alike will devour this whole. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (May 17, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689857969
• ISBN-13: 978-0689857966
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #262,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up on a farm outside Washington Court House, Ohio. As a kid, I liked to read a lot, and was also involved in 4-H, various bands and choirs (I played flute and piano), church youth group, the school newspaper, and a quiz-bowl type team. I was pretty disastrous as an athlete, although I did run track one year in high school. After graduating from Miami University (of Ohio), I worked as a newspaper copy editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana; a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis; and a part-time community college instructor and freelance writer in Danville, Illinois, before my first book was published. I've moved around a lot as an adult, having also lived in Luxembourg (during a college semester abroad) and in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. Several years ago, I moved back to Ohio with my husband and kids; we now live in Columbus, Ohio. My husband trains investigative journalists, and my kids are in high school, so there's always a lot going on around our house.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Comeback for Haddix, July 2, 2005

By 

Ellis Reyes "Teacher" (Mercer Island, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Among the Enemy (Shadow Children Books) (Hardcover)

I am a 5th grade teacher and read the "Shadow Children" series aloud to my class each year. I was pretty disappointed with Among the Brave as I felt the author spent far too much time retelling the story of the earlier books. Among the Enemy was riveting. It began very strong and the momentum never dissipated. The main character of the story has shifted once again, to Matthias (one of the kids first encountered in Among the Imposters) and it also takes a noticeably spiritual turn. I was ready to be disappointed again, but Ms. Haddix did a fine job of storytelling with this one. It is a fine series to read when a class is studying civil rights, the Constitution, or for older kids ecology, and childbirth policies in this country and others. I'm eager to read the next in the series, whenever that may be.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another home run, July 11, 2005

By 

Annie "molder of young minds" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Among the Enemy (Shadow Children Books) (Hardcover)

I am a 6th grade teacher and I used the first book in the series as a class novel. During the rest of the year, I read the next four books. Anytime we had a few minutes at the end of class, instead of taking the five minutes to talk, as most students will choose to do, my students bugged me to read to them. We finished the fifth book on the last day of school and many of them were planning to check the sixth out of the library over the summer. I teach in an inner-city school and you should know that many of this children have never read a book in their life unless they were forced to, but they were all getting on-line from the school computer putting the book on reserve before it was even released. I would call that a powerful book. The only problem with the books, is that, as an English teacher, I teach my students to look deeper into text, but there are many questions that are not answered; as a mother of twins, I could sympathize with them when they were curious about how this phenomenon would be dealt with in this society. They asked many deep questions I could not answer, and I would love to have some kind of background information for those of us who have cosen to teach this book to our students. They are asking the questions, but there are no answers!
You should read these books, because they are not just for children. I had a parent call and ask me about them, because her son was telling her about them and she was interested in reading them herself. I am looking forward to the final book in the series; I hope the children do gain their freedom and are allowed to live free!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best one yet!, August 16, 2005

By 

Kelly (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Among the Enemy (Shadow Children Books) (Hardcover)

I got this book at about 5 o'clock and had finsihed it by about 11, if you get the point. It is definitely the best book yet and my new favorite. Throughout the whole series many shadow children join the cause to fight the Population Police, but this book has the most action against them and the most suspense. Matthias is the main character and this brings in more history of some of the characters so far (Alia, Percy, and Matthias). The best part is the suspense and excitement of what happens in the book. I've been disappointed by the fact that the third children never "win" anything over the Pop. Police, but I wasn't disappointed by this one. It is the best book so far.